In 2005, rare bushland at Pooh Corner was saved
from becoming another
industrial estate in Wacol !!!

After a two week intense public awareness campaign organised by Friends of Pooh Corner, the Federal Government announced at the end of April 2005 that the 1.4 sq km Pooh Corner bushland site (surplus Defence land) will no longer be sold off to developers.

Instead the federal Government gave Pooh Corner to the Brisbane City Council for $1 to be managed as a nature conservation reserve.

This is an outstanding "people power" victory for the people of Brisbane.

BACKGROUND

In late February 2005, two
parcels of Defence land at Wacol were put up for sale by the Federal
Government . One of these parcels of land is adjacent to the Ipswich
Motorway, Sanananda Barracks (107 ha).

The other parcel of public
land the Federal Government sell off is known
as Pooh Corner (138 ha). Pooh Corner is very well known by people in south
west Brisbane, as the home to the large population of eastern grey kangaroos
that frequently eat and relax outside the jail on Wacol Station road.
This is Brisbane's last viable population of eastern grey kangaroos, which
is listed as a significant species by the Brisbane City Council.

The home of these kangaroos
at Pooh Corner is a 1.4 sq kilometre tract of bush/forest, for which 80%
is an endangered forest ecosystem. These endangered
ecosystems are protected under State Government law meaning any developer
who buys the land will not be able to get a permit to clear most if any
of the vegetation at Pooh Corner.

Pooh Corner is home to 26 species
of animals and 16 plant species which are significant at the Federal,
State and/or Local level - ie. they are rare, or vulnerable. See
more.

Pooh Corner is unique within
the Brisbane metropolitan area and should be kept in public ownership
as a public nature conservation reserve.

In January 2001 former Brisbane
City Mayor Jim Soorley slammed the way the Department of Defence was disposing
of high conservation land at Wacol (Pooh corner) at a Senate inquiry in
Brisbane. See more.

Teresa Gambaro (Federal Member
for the Brisbane seat of Petrie), in her position as Parliamentary Secretary
to the Minister for Defence made the decision to sell Pooh Corner without
public consultation despite the high nature conservation values.
See more.

Summary of main issues:

Pooh Corner is almost entirely
protected from clearing and development by State and Local laws, because
of endangered forest ecosystems, creeks and wetlands cover the 1.4
sq km site. See more.

It is home to Brisbane's
last population of Eastern Grey kangaroos - these are seen by thousands
of people each day who drive along Wacol Station road. See
more.

Pooh Corner is unique
within the Brisbane metropolitan area and should be kept in public
ownership as a public nature conservation reserve.

Pooh Corner Campaign Archive

See media
page for newspaper articles and radio that occurred during the campaign
to save Pooh Corner in 2005.